Top 12 Phobias in the World

Arachnophobia

Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. Interestingly, 30.5% of all arachnophobia sufferers are in the United States alone. Some experts believe that the cause of this phobia is evolutionary, which means that it is natural for humans to protect them from spiders because some species are deadly. However, you have arachnophobia when you go overboard to ensure your surroundings are free from spiders.

Acrophobia

Acrophobia is the fear of height and there are more than 23 million acrophobia sufferers around the world. People who have this phobia do everything possible to avoid high places, such as towers, bridges or tall buildings. A traumatic experience may be the underlying cause of acrophobia, but there can be other causes as well. The fear of heights can sometimes lead to panic attacks.

Trypophobia

The fear of holes or trypophobia can be very serious because some people experience a panic attack even when they think of holes. It is common for these people to avoid objects such as sponges, coral, meat, skin, dried honeycombs and more.

Claustrophobia

The fear of small, enclosed places or claustrophobia is usually the result of a traumatic experience. Many people develop this phobia after being stuck in an elevator for long. Claustrophobia is one of these fears that are supposed to run in families.

Cynophobia

It is the fear of dogs and is usually caused by a traumatic experience related to dogs. You may develop this phobia if you have been bitten by a dog in your childhood. This is one of the most common phobias, as more than 36% of all individuals seeking treatment for phobias have cynophobia. It is important to keep in mind that people with this phobia have intense fear of dogs and they cannot even walk down a certain street because they know there is a dog living in a house.

Aerophobia

The fear of flying or aerophobia affects more than 6.5% of the world's population. Interestingly, people who have aerophobia usually have other fears as well, such as claustrophobia or agoraphobia. The fear can severely affect your personal and professional life because you would not be able to travel around the world.

Mysophobia

The fear of germs can hamper the quality of your life because you will always worry about keeping yourself clean. Mysophobia is often related to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and it is possible to have both these disorders simultaneously. Sufferers will have a serious fear of eating contaminated food or being exposed to bodily fluids from people around them. Many people may turn to isolation to deal with this problem.

Social Phobia

Also called social anxiety disorder, social phobia keeps you from taking part in social events. You will go great lengths to avoid being in a social event. Sufferers find it impossible to socialize and often isolate them completely. They always avoid places, events, and people who can trigger an anxiety attack. It is among the most common phobias and is very hard to deal with because sometimes eating a meal can trigger an anxiety attack. Not being able to speak in front of a large group of people is also a form of this phobia. This type of phobia usually develops during puberty and often lasts throughout life if you do not seek treatment in a timely manner.

Hempophobia

It is the fear of blood. People with this phobia can actually faint when they see blood. The mere sight of blood can make them feel lightheaded and dizzy. The reaction can be severe even when a sufferer sees or gets a small cut. It is not clear exactly what causes this phobia, but some experts believe that it has something to do with a fear of death.

Trypanophobia

It is the fear of needles. It is an extremely common phobia and usually runs in families. What causes it in the first place is not clear, but some experts believe that it is learned in the family. There are some other experts who believe that trypanophobia can actually be inherited. It can be a dangerous phobia because people with this intense fear of needle might avoid getting dental or medical treatments just to avoid needles.

Coulrophobia

If you cannot stand the sight of clowns, you may have Coulrophobia. While most people enjoy being around clowns, someone with Coulrophobia can have a panic attack even when they watch clowns on TV. Experts believe that most people develop this fear in childhood. Since clowns are portrayed as bad in movies and media, this may well be the reason why some kids develop this fear in very young age.

Necrophobia

The fear of dead things or death has to be on the list of most common phobias. You may fear death or constantly worry about losing a loved one. It is extremely difficult to deal with this phobia mainly due to the uncertainty surrounding death. The faith component associated with dying and death can also make it difficult to overcome necrophobia.

Your irrational or unreasonable fear related to your exposure to specific situations or objects can hamper the quality of your life. It is important to understand your phobias and then consider working with a professional to deal with it properly.